On their first album, Scotland's Cocteau Twins add a
borrowed drum synthesizer to vocals, bass and heavily
treated guitar, producing atmospheric dirges with rich
textures and little structure. Elizabeth Fraser's vocals
are essentially tuneless, and the backing goes nowhere, but
it's all artily agreeable enough for those with the
patience to wade through the murk and mire. (The UK
Garlands CD adds a 1983 John Peel radio broadcast
and two previously unreleased studio tracks.)

Bassist Will Heggie then left (resurfacing in Lowlife),
and Simon Raymonde joined Fraser and guitarist Robin
Guthrie. Head Over Heels shows marked improvement,
both in terms of songwriting technique and vocal
performances. "Sugar Hiccup" (a different version of which
appears on Sunburst and Snowblind) exhibits a
stronger melodic sense, and Fraser's voice soars on songs
like "In the Gold Dust Rush" and "Musette and Drums." The
record also offers more varied tempos: the rather
Bansheelike "In Our Angelhood" rocks more than anything the
Cocteaus had previously done.

Sunburst and Snowblind is a strong four-song EP,
well-honed for those who'd rather meet the Cocteau Twins in
smaller doses. Delicate, precious yet accessible, the
instrumental backing is a little thinner and the vocals
more confident. Head Over Heels and Sunburst and
Snowblind were issued together on CD and cassette.

Pearly-Dewdrops' Drop strips down the sound a
little further; "The Spangle Maker" and the title track
even forgo much of the reverb that permeates their records.
By this point, the Cocteau Twins had become ubiquitous
figures in the alternative record charts and a major live
attraction as well. Treasure stands as their finest
hour. It contains no black and white sounds  just
intriguing shades of gray  immersing the listener in
a full range of emotions, with Fraser's now-powerful voice
alternately full of sorrow, joy, calm and fury. The
production is meticulously detailed; increased use of
keyboards and drums provides a wider range of tone colors.
All ten diverse tracks work well; "Persephone" and "Ivo"
are particularly noteworthy.

After Treasure, the Cocteaus ran a little short
on new ideas. In 1985, they released three four-song EPs.
Aikea-Guinea could pass as outtakes from previous
albums, while Tiny Dynamine and Echoes in a
Shallow Bay are virtually identical, in cover art as
well as sound. On the following year's Victorialand,
almost all the instrumental backing is psychedelic-tinged
treated acoustic guitar. While that opens things up and
gives Fraser's voice more room, the material again recalls
earlier records. All of these works, if heard individually,
are pleasant, effective mood music; taken as a whole,
however, they're all cut from the same cloth.

The Moon and the Melodies enlists
pianist/minimalist composer/Eno collaborator Harold Budd
and gives him equal billing. Let's just say that the
results don't exactly kick butt; the band's remaining
redeeming feature, Fraser's voice, sounds noticeably
uninspired on the (only) three tracks where she appears.
Those familiar with the band's recent work, firmly
entrenched in the dangerous realm of new age mush, will
know what this one sounds like before the laser beam hits
the CD.

Love's Easy Tears is four tracks of
déjà vu. The Pink Opaque, a
career-spanning compilation, was originally issued as a
British
CD; the vinyl version became the band's first American
release. For Blue Bell Knoll, a 35-minute
major-label debut, the band seemed content to stick with
its well-defined formula of pleasant, florid aural
wallpaper; the album is smoothly produced and utterly
forgettable.

Whether it was Guthrie and Fraser's parenthood,
Guthrie's outside production work with such groups as the
Veldt and Lush or a visitation from aliens, something lit a
fire under this somnolent band. Delivered at a point when
the Cocteaus were veering dangerously close to self-parody,
Heaven or Las Vegas reasserts their artistic
respectability and then some. There are more actual songs
here than on their past half-dozen releases combined. Such
numbers as "Cherry-Coloured Funk" and "Iceblink Luck" are
focused and emotionally involving, yet don't skimp on the
trademark atmospherics; Fraser even sings some of her
lyrics in recognizable English. While the pacing isn't
drastically different, energetic playing, Fraser's deeper
range and new-found expressiveness and imaginative, less
florid songwriting make Heaven or Las Vegas the
first Cocteau Twins album to climb out of the trendy-muzak
bin. The album plays not like an attempt at commercialism
so much as a genuine effort to communicate more clearly.

Iceblink Luck showcases a catchy song (with the
clearest words of any Twins single yet) from the LP and two
non-album tracks, including the nearly funky "Watchlar."
The Heaven or Las Vegas EP includes one non-album
track, the ambient "Dials."

Four-Calendar Café continues the trend
toward clarity, adding a slightly earthy edge that nicely
balances the ethereality. Standout tracks like "Know Who
You Are at Every Age," "Bluebeard" and "Squeeze-Wax" rank
with the group's most memorable and melodically accessible
work.

The two 1995 EPs find the Cocteaus exploring alternative
approaches with mixed success. Twinlights features
acoustic versions of three new songs and 1985's "Pink
Orange Red"; it's the Cocteaus at their most restrained and
unadorned, and unfussy clarity makes it a low-key winner.
The ambient-flavored Otherness combines two new
songs with "Cherry-Coloured Funk" (from Heaven or Las
Vegas) and "Feet Like Fins" (from Victorialand),
all remixed by Mark Clifford of Seefeel; the result is
vaguely interesting as a convergence of disparate genres,
but not a particularly fulfilling listen.

Milk & Kisses reprises "Rilkean Heart" from
Twinlights and "Violaine" and "Seekers Who Are Lovers" from
Otherness, all in more characteristically
Cocteauesque versions. Elsewhere, the album maintains the
organic, approachable mood of Heaven or Las Vegas
and Four-Calendar Café, making it one of the
Twins' smoothest  and most satisfying 
concoctions.